Former minister and KPCC president CV Padmarajan passed away on Wednesday. He was 93. He died at a private hospital in Kollam due to age-related illness. He held important portfolios in the K Karunakaran and AK Antony ministries and was a towering leader of the party in Kollam.

In 1982, having won from Chathannoor, he became the minister for rural development and fisheries in the Karunakaran cabinet. Later, he resigned from the ministerial post and became the KPCC president. Though defeated in 1987, he won again in 1991. He served as the electricity and coir minister. During this stint, he implemented free electricity up to 20 units.

When Karunakaran met with an accident and went to the US for treatment, he became the acting Chief Minister. In 1994, he served as the finance, coir, and devaswom minister in the AK Antony cabinet. He also served as the Vice Chairman of the Planning Board. Padmarajan was also the acting president of the Kollam District Cooperative Bank.

Padmarajan was born on July 22, 1931 to Paravoor Kunnathu Velu Vaidyar and KM Thankamma. After his school education at Kottapuram Primary School, SNV School and Kottapuram High School, he joined St Berchmans College in Changanassery for intermediate. 

He passed BA from the first batch of MG College, Thiruvananthapuram. Pdmarajan then worked as a teacher at the Kottapuram School for three years before pursuing legal studies at Ernakulam Law College and Thiruvananthapuram Law College.

He is survived by his wife Vasantakumari (advocate) and children: Aji (former project manager, Infosys), Ani (VP, Vodafone-Idea, Mumbai).